Spong, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,895, which issued June 27, 1978, has disclosed an ablative optical recording medium for use in an optical recording system, which medium comprises a light reflective material which is coated with a layer of a light absorptive organic material. A focused, modulated light beam, such as a light beam from an argon ion laser, when directed at the recording medium, vaporizes or ablates the light absorptive layer, leaving an opening in this layer and exposing the light reflecting material. The thickness of the light absorptive layer is chosen so that the reflectivity of the recording medium is reduced.
Bell, in a co-pending application, Ser. No. 054,437 filed July 3, 1979, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 782,032 filed Mar. 28, 1977, now abandoned, has disclosed an improved ablative trilayer optical recording medium for use in the Spong optical recording system. The trilayer optical recording medium comprises a light reflective material, a layer of a light transmissive material overlying the light reflective material, and a layer of light absorptive material overlying the light transmissive layer. The thickness of the light absorptive layer is so related to the thickness of the light transmissive layer and the optical constants of the light reflective material and the transmissive and absorptive layers, so as to reduce the optical reflectivity of the recording medium. A maximum fraction of light impinging on the recording medium from a focused, modulated light beam, is then absorbed and converted to thermal energy in the light absorbing layer. The thermal energy ablates or melts the light absorptive layer producing an opening in the layer and thus exposing the underlying light reflecting layer through the light transmissive layer.
The reflectivity in the area of the opening of the light absorptive layer is essentially that of the light reflective layer and is much greater than that of the surrounding unexposed region. During readout this difference in reflectivities is detected optically and converted into an electrical signal representative of the recorded information.
The trilayer recording medium of Bell can be formed of aluminum as the light reflective material, a silicon dioxide light transmissive layer and a titanium metal light absorptive layer typically about 2 to 12 nanometers thick. This recording medium has good archival properties and signal-to-noise performance upon readout of information recorded at powers well above the threshold power for recording but has a comparatively low recording sensitivity. Replacement of the titanium layer with a tellurium layer increases the recording sensitivity but degrades the archival performance of the recording medium. Thus for archival purposes, a layer comprised of a material such as titanium is preferred.
It would also be desirable to reproduce the recorded medium so that multiple copies could be obtained. However, because the absorptive layer is so thin, openings in this layer are difficult to replicate to form a master from which copies can be made.
Thus, it would be desirable to be able to record information using the recording medium of Bell because of its desirable recording and readout features, while at the same time being able to replicate the recorded information.